April Guest Designer - Susan Smit

Please welcome Susan as our Guest Designer for April!!

We asked Susan a few little get to know you questions and here's what she said:

Share with us a little about you, how long have you been scrapping, do you have your own dedicated workspace, where are you from?:

About my self... I admit it, I am a scrap addict! The first in line… and what is worse... there is no hope for me!  If you can’t bet ‘im, join ‘im... as above I am a stand up scrapper….and have been from the start. Every time I sit and scrap I  can’t glue straight. I am working on it though. So I have a high ironing board chair near by and grab for it every now & then... that is, if it has not been used as a extra table!

I was born in NZ 1958 and have been living non stop in Holland since 1999. My first love was dress making and designing. Tutoring for “Access” Industrial sewing --- retraining unemployed adults for employment. Color consultant for Fashion Academy. Love to embroider, anything creative with color and texture. That’s why I scrap 3d. My husband calls me a “kitchen princess”... love working in the kitchen and giving dinner party’s. My biggest problem is… I find it hard to sit and do nothing, so I am good, as most women, at multitasking… but most crafty people are any way. I have a D husband and two four legged boys living at home. Nino a Norwich terror and Whiskey a Yorkshire terror that did not grow, thus a mini. My only blood family living in Holland are my two children, both living away from home. 26 and  30… makes me feel old… Grandmother to Mees. Frans, my DH has two daughters, same age as my own children, also living away from home. Adopted grandmother to Noah. The rest of my family live in NZ and Australia. Cairns.

I discovered “scrap” a few years before I tried it. I thought, this looks like fun, but I saw it was going to cost me, and like every one, I had a lot of photo’s that needed sorting, just waiting for the right moment and right photo album. So I waited until I had a introduction class before beginning as I know my self. If I do some thing, I do it 1000%. This was around 2004, I never looked back. I used it as a replacement for kicking the nicotine habit... it was a success!  I stopped smoking at the same time. Like most scrap starters, at first it was cheaper to stay smoking... but I have worked it out… not so… I was a heavy smoker. So, I now budget the smoking allowance for my scrap habit. ( Die hard scrappers can talk any thing good for a few new products!) I have kept my first LO… I shall never  show it publicly, but I was very proud at the time. I have certainly grown since then! What I love about scrap, is it does not stay still. There is always room for growth and I never get bored. I find every thing I love to do in this hobby. So for me it is here to stay!

I work part time as a freelance Nanny. 8am-6pm.  2 1/2 days in the week.  I have been doing this for 8 years now, and still go to work… play… every day with a smile on my face. I did how ever take a 6 month break to work full time at a scrap store here in Holland. “Scrap Salad” That was a dream job. A shame the store did not stay open long. Shy of 1½ year. Due to personal reasons she closed her doors. But I did get to give Work Shops, and loved it! I connected with a few other stores here in Holland. “Scrap-Ware” “Scrap-Art” “Simple-scrapping” ( when I was under the umbrella of simple-scrapping my work was published in a few issues of a Dutch scrap magazine.

And now…. “Scrap-delight”…. A new chapter in my scrap life… I find Scrap-delight caters for my taste. Romantic, distressed, stamping, ribbons and lace, glimmer and grubby hands…..but mostly I get to give at least one WS a month and do a lot of assignments on demand. This is a win, win situation… and… they are the only store that stocks DUSTY ATTIC in Holland!  Michelle, the owner of the store always does her best to get goodies in the store that I ask for…and that is worth holding on to, with both hands! Scrap-delight has a DT of 12 very talented scrap diva’s. So I feel I have come home…



What is my fav. technique to use with the chippies?… where do I start! It has been only the last week that I have used DA naked. This looks great with the new G45 paper lines. But I normally like to deck it with gesso… one of my fav. products for scrapping… Then, glimmer mist / glam (I like to paint this with a fine brush to give a water color effect) Puffy paint or crackle paint works great for texture. Some times beads. what ever takes my mood and what the project asks for. But what I love about DA, is that you can use any thing on it.


I have my own space! My studio / Lab / mess!

How big is it? It keeps growing! My DH always says... you can not make this room any bigger… one day the floor is going to fall to the bedroom!  And he gets scared when he ventures up that far, It can only take so much weight… but he is secretly very proud of me… he is not creative at all!  I have the attic. The entire top floor. I share it with the washing machine, dryer, freezer, storage and a sink, with hot and cold running water. Very handy for grubby hands, washing paint brushes and any accidental spills. I am always re-arranging and sorting… this is a good pass time as you come across all sorts of goodies. Sometimes it is still in the packaging! It is like going shopping all over again. It can also be inspiring and a great, get around to it quilt trip.

I also scrap down stairs in front of the TV. Another hobby of mine is films, this way my DH gets to see me more. He gave me a lap top so I can do my thing down stairs as well… but mostly so he does not have to wait to use his… hahaha… I am very proud of myself that I started a blog last year… I was a computer dummy… I am still learning.


What are your favourite Dusty Attic pieces?: 

What is my most fav. chippie? I think the butterflies and dragonflies, because these can be used with every theme and photo. What I do love is all the swirls and vines.


And finally, something close to most of the Dusty Team's heart - What's your favourite kind of Chocolate?:

Now for the interesting part… what choc am I addicted to?  NOT!  I am not a chocoholic… I am a coffee-holic.  But if I was living in NZ it would be Nestles milk chocolate with nuts and peanut slabs are to die for!  I am so glad I do not live there any more or I would be the size of a double door garage and I don’t need that sort of help at the moment…